His father Ralph was a grocer, bondsman and small-time bootlegger in North Denver. After the death of Joseph Spinuzzi in 1975, Eugene was recognized as Northern Colorado's leading crime figure and described as the patriarch of the Denver crime family. He and his brother Clyde were in control of a gang that dominated the northern Colorado rackets, operating mainly in illegal gambling. Eugene and Clyde Smaldone, who ran together in a life of crime since their teen years, were very close. At times, it was hard to tell which of them was running the operation. Smaller in stature than Chauncey, the two were accused through years of various acts of violence. The principal enforcer for the Smaldone gang was Frank "Blackie" Mazza, who was a slot-machine man.